ID No. 019 - Chapter 9.1

Zhou Xiaoxiao kept crying and shouting outside the house, constantly calling for Zhang Yan and Zhao Yuan.

Chen Yang was a bit perplexed. Zhou Xiaoxiao didn’t like Lin Yue and Huang Qing, and was afraid of the young man, so it made sense she didn’t call for them. But why didn’t she call for him? What made her think asking him for help would be useless?

To be honest, he didn’t think himself heartless or difficult to get along with.

Chen Yang couldn’t figure it out, so he decided to stop thinking about it. He glanced at the three people who hadn’t spoken and cautiously said, “None of us have seen Zhou Xiaoxiao’s body. It’s possible she’s still alive.”

Everyone gave him a quick look before turning their attention towards the wooden door that was still rattling from the knocking.

“Then why is she only coming back now?”

“What if it’s not her?”

“If it’s a monster, letting it in would mean our deaths, right?”

There was a commotion outside as the boat captain, Cheng-ge, approached. “What the hell is she howling about?”

“It’s me, I’m a tourist and I got lost. My companions won’t let me in. Uncle, please help me, help me…” Zhou Xiaoxiao curled up while crying herself hoarse.

Cheng-ge looked at the fragile girl in front of him, then struck the door with the stick he was holding. “Open the door!”

Chen Yang opened the door.

Zhou Xiaoxiao froze when she saw Chen Yang, as if she had not expected him to open the door. She lowered her gaze and whispered, “Thank you.”

Chen Yang stepped aside to let her in, subtly looking behind her.

She had a shadow.

The others saw it too.

Zhang Yan put the hoe back against the wall and Zhao Yuan silently walked out from the corner of the room.

Lin Yue stood amidst the scattered mess on the ground, coldly staring at Zhou Xiaoxiao. Even if she had a shadow, Lin Yue wouldn’t show a friendly face.

Zhou Xiaoxiao shivered under her gaze, then looked resentfully at Zhang Yan and Zhao Yuan. “I’ve been calling you for so long. Why didn’t you let me in?”

Zhang Yan looked apologetic, while Zhao Yuan avoided making eye contact in embarrassment.

“I understand. You were scared because you thought I wasn’t human.” Zhou Xiaoxiao wiped away her tears. “I’m human, I have a shadow. You saw it, right?”

Zhang Yan nodded and gently asked, “Where did you go? Tell us everything.”

Zhou Xiaoxiao sniffled and moved to stand next to him.

“After we split up yesterday, I went to the back of the mountain,” Zhou Xiaoxiao sobbed. “I wasn’t that scared during the day, so I walked around the mountain. I met a young man from the island, one of the better-looking ones I’ve seen around my age, so I chatted with him and… seduced him.”

Feeling a bit ashamed, Zhou Xiaoxiao bit her lip. “I basically charmed him. He answered whatever I asked.”

Zhang Yan probed, “So, what did you find out?”

“Not much.” Zhou Xiaoxiao continued, not noticing the change in their expressions, “I asked if there was anything fun to do on the island. He said no and that the island was boring. He also mentioned he couldn’t understand why we came here. So I told him I’d heard that Xiaoyin Island was mysterious.”

She recalled the conversation and said, “At first, he said that was impossible. But after walking around and talking more, he admitted that there was a place on the island that was very mysterious but was known only to him, yet to be discovered by the others. I asked if he could take me there and he said yes, so I went with him.”

Zhao Yuan couldn’t help but interject, his face full of doubt, “Aren’t you very timid? Yet you dared to go alone?”

Chen Yang also found it unbelievable. Zhou Xiaoxiao was a crybaby. She barely held it together at the dock. How did she suddenly have the courage to take such a risk alone after coming ashore?

“Fortune favors the bold and clues are the same,” Zhou Xiaoxiao said, understanding what everyone was thinking about, then sighed. “I thought about the strange ID card with my face on it and how I’d die in this task world if I couldn’t get out. Also…” She looked at Lin Yue and added, “Lin Yue-jiejie is right. We can’t rely on others. We have to depend on ourselves.”

Lin Yue sneered. “Who are you calling ‘jiejie’? I’m an only child.”

Zhou Xiaoxia was left speechless.

According to Zhou Xiaoxiao, the young man took her to a cave. It was very well hidden and practically impossible to find without a guide. She wanted to take the risk and hide in the cave until the duration of the mission ended.

The rest didn’t need to be said.

After two days passed, Zhou Xiaoxiao found she hadn’t returned to the real world and rushed back in a panic.

Chen Yang sized up Zhou Xiaoxiao twice and abruptly asked, “What’s the name of that young man you mentioned?”

Zhou Xiaoxiao thought for a moment. “Seems like Ah, Ah something…”

A name instinctively popped up in Chen Yang’s mind. “Ah Wu?”

“Yes, yes!” Zhou Xiaoxiao shouted excitedly. “That’s him! Ah Wu, it’s Ah Wu!” The next moment, she realized something was wrong. “How did you know?”

Chen Yang said, “He delivered our food today.”

Zhou Xiaoxiao was stunned. “Really?”

Chen Yang looked at her calmly. “You weren’t here, but Ah Wu didn’t ask us about you. It didn’t seem like he even knew you.”

Zhou Xiaoxiao’s eyes flickered. “He was probably embarrassed.”

Chen Yang saw a hint of humiliation in her fleeting glance. It seemed that her vanity had taken a hit.

Seeing everyone remain silent, Zhou Xiaoxiao’s face stiffened. She said, “He’ll still deliver food tomorrow. Watch me talk to him then.”

We really have to see it, the group thought.

Zhou Xiaoxiao’s black hair was disheveled, her fine clothes dirty and her shoes muddy with bits of grass. After washing her face, her dark circles became more pronounced, indicating she hadn’t slept for a long time. It looked like she had indeed suffered in the cave.

No one cared about the mess in the yard. Zhang Yan was telling Zhou Xiaoxiao what had happened on the island and what might happen if they failed to unveil the curse.

Zhou Xiaoxiao was so scared she broke down crying. Zhao Yuan also wiped away tears. Both received cold ridicule from Lin Yue.

The despair in the room was suffocating.

Chen Yang didn’t get involved and stayed away. He leaned against the wall with the young man and whispered, “Do you believe what Zhou Xiaoxiao said?”

“She’s ugly. Too noisy. Didn’t listen.”

Chen Yang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This guy truly had no sense of crisis as someone without an ID. “Don’t you think your sense of aesthetics might be a bit off?”

The man turned his head, his dark eyes staring at him for a moment. “Nope.”

Chen Yang was rendered speechless. He rubbed his nose and proposed, “We might go to the cave Zhou Xiaoxiao mentioned later. Are you coming?”

Before the man could speak, Chen Yang added, “C’mon, let’s go. We can walk slowly if necessary. If it comes down to it I’ll carry you. I don’t trust anyone else. I have a bad feeling about this, like something will happen if we go.”

Chen Yang’s voice lowered as he mumbled to himself.

“If you’re scared, don’t go.”

“That won’t do. We need to find clues and complete the task.” Chen Yang touched the long rusty iron, his fingertip lightly brushing against the pointed end.